By the Name of Our Mother
by Pinoko K
Summary: Ending Spoiler. A knight's oath is unbreakable. Yet Basch couldn't deny the longing for home.


Disclaimer: This is for my own amusement, not for profit. Final Fantasy and all its characters belong to Square Enix. I don't own them. If they were mine, FFVII protagonist would've been Zack; all its prequels and sequels would've been about Sephiroth.

A/N: This was originally part of my other fic "Acceptance", hence it's the mirror image of the first chapter of the said fic. It was intentional. But I decided to split it. Basch deserved the spotlight without having to share it with Ashe.

_By the Name of Our Mother__  
by Pinoko K_

Basch Fon Ronsenburg would have never thought he'd sigh so heavily and so often again; he couldn't justify his feelings. Last time he had felt so trapped had been during his two-year imprisonment by the Empire. He was no longer held by physical metal chains, nor confined by heavy steel-barred cage. Far from it. Under the starry night of Archadian sky, Basch was free to roam about the palace of Archades – a privilege reserved for a Judge Magister.

Judge Magister, Basch mused darkly. Judge Magister Gabranth, as he would be known in this foreign land from now on. Never in a million years would he have thought he would take over his twin brother's identity. Though he was not to be called Noah Fon Ronsenburg, a familiar name he would prefer. Instead, he was Judge Magister Gabranth.

Gabranth – their late mother's maiden name. Basch wanted to associate this name with the warmth and love of their mother, tried as he might, yet sometimes all he could think of was blood and betrayal by his twin brother. With understated shame of tainting his mother's name and memories, Basch let out yet another heavy sigh under his helmet. There was no other way, the knight reasoned. Basch was dead, so was Noah. All that was left was Gabranth, a role he had taken for the good of Ivalice, for Noah, and most of all, for Dalmasca. Freed from on cage and flew straight into another, such was the story of Basch Fon Ronsenburg.

With one more heavy sigh, Basch pulled off his metal helmet, freeing from the mask of Gabranth, allowing himself the luxury of being Basch for a few moments under the cool air of Archadian night. He put the helmet down and approached the stone railing of the palace balcony. The city of Archades laid under his heavy metal boots, Basch spared a moment to take in the night scenery, with waterfalls behind him served as his personal orchestra.

Only a few of all Archadians had the chance to admire the scenic view from the royal palace itself, the highest point in the entire Archades. The city's architecturally advanced skyline expanded through the horizon, like a marvelous man-made forest, quite the contrary to Rabanastre's own stone buildings clusters. Yet, Basch would not hesitate to trade this breath-taking scenery of Archades for the down-to-earth one of Dalmasca. If he would spare a moment to identify the constant presence of a faint tug inside him ever since his arrival to this foreign land, he'd have noticed it was none other than homesickness. He missed Dalmasca, a place he had called home for so many years, where he had laid down his life and served with pride and honor, though not without regrets.

But Basch was, and always would be, a knight first, a man second. His duty now lied in Archadia, as he promised Noah. His oaths would never be broken; the knight would not allow it. Basch closed his eyes and ran a gloved hand over his face. It was something that simply had to be done, the knight reasoned, swiftly mending any crack on his unbreakable resolve, ignoring the anguish call and the longing for home from the man within.

_Basch, look after Larsa, would you? _

The knight within bluntly reminded the man those dying words of his twin brother. They rang through his mind, as a witness to his vow, strengthening his resolve to make this land his new home.

_Protect him. I would entrust him to no other's care._

Despite their sworn loyalties to the opposite sides since the fall of their homeland, the Republic of Landis; despite Gabranth's assassination of King Raminas, framing the loyal Dalmascian captain as a king murderer; despite it all, to Basch, Gabranth would always be Noah. Forever linked by the same blood. How could Basch not have granted Noah's dying wish? And to protect an innocent young king, whose hands had not dirtied by blood, whose sides were hounded by those who wanted to use him as their puppet, Basch accepted his new role not without any pride.

"To further the cause of peace in Ivalice" was what he had told his allies when he had left with Larsa to Archades, the Empire that not so long ago had been his own country's sworn enemy. Twice: once as Landis', once as Dalmasca's. Now, Basch had now sworn to protect it. The irony was not lost to him. Yet, an oath is an oath…

Though, had Basch not sworn to protect Dalmasca many years ago? What of the Lady Ashe? What of his vow to Vossler to guard her? He failed to protect both her husband and father, should he not protect the Lady Ashe herself? Had he agreed to come to Archades truly because of Noah's request, or because of his own failure to protect Dalmasca, losing both Lord Rasler and the late King Raminas? Fleeing from his failure perhaps, once more, as he had done in Landis in his younger years?

He frowned deeply and steeled himself, slashing the ambushing string of unanswered questions with his mental sword, just as he would cut through enemies mercilessly to protect his charge. Self-doubt could be fatally demoralizing; a warrior could not afford to any of it, the knight wisely reminded himself. Mistakes he had made in the past could not be changed. For now, he would have to focus on his one and only task: to protect Lord Larsa.

_Lord Larsa is our last hope._

"I would keep him from harm, I promise you, Brother." Basch sworn solemnly at the starry sky of Archadia. The thought of Noah watching over him brought a genuine smile on the knight's usual stoic face.

Basch understood all too well. For the Archadia, for Dalmasca, for peace, and for Noah, Basch's homesickness was indeed a very small price to pay.

The knight was pleased; the mental crack had been mended once again.


End file.
